Voltaire's secret to a meaningful life, on mental models, flourishing and more
4 new ideas on smarter living
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Voltaire on meaningful living
Voltaire was a French philosopher, author and mathematician who lived in the eighteenth century. He is known for his wit and sense of humour, but he is also famous for his strong belief in tolerance.
In his biography of Voltaire, historian William D. Irvine called the 18th-century philosopher “the most famous intellectual in Europe” at the time. In addition to being a literary giant and one of the key figures of the Enlightenment, Voltaire was also an influential social critic who left behind a trove of insightful philosophy on life and living.
Voltaire believed that a meaningful life should be based on reason, compassion and tolerance. He argued that people should think for themselves, learn from their mistakes and treat others with respect.
Voltaire had a knack for cutting through pretentiousness with his biting wit and razor-sharp observations. He also understood deeply that happiness is not just about keeping up appearances but also finding meaning and fulfilment in life, regardless of external circumstances.
Voltaire had a very tragic life. He was an orphan who lost his mother when he was ten years old. His father was arrested and executed for being a protestant at the time. So Voltaire was then sent to live with his uncle.
Then, when he was 20, he got married and had two kids. Then he became a soldier in the war. He was injured in a battle and became disabled. So, his life was full of challenges. One thing that kept him going through all of these challenges and tragedies was his writing.
He wrote plays, novels, poems, and essays still studied today. And he eventually became a well-known philosopher who influenced the way we think about religion, politics and science.
In other words, Voltaire’s life is proof that if you can persevere through adversity and use it to fuel your creativity, you can achieve greatness. In one of his letters, Voltaire talks about finding direction and meaning in life:
“It is not necessary to go directly forward or straight back; it is necessary to go somewhere — even if it’s only directly forward or straight back!” He had a lot to share about life and living a meaningful life.
Believe in the efficacy of reason
“Many are destined to reason wrongly; others, not to reason at all; and others, to persecute those who do reason.” — Voltaire
Voltaire’s philosophy was based on reason and scepticism. He believed that reason was the foundation of all human knowledge and that it was the duty of every person to use reason in all matters.
Voltaire believed that humans were capable of using their reason to understand the world and to understand themselves as well.
He believed that by using reason, humans could discover the truth about everything, including themselves. According to Voltaire, humans could live happy and fulfilling lives by living according to the dictates of reason.
By living according to reason, people could enjoy their lives by making rational decisions and constantly questioning what they did to make sure that they were doing the right thing. By living in this way, people could avoid making mistakes and regret their decisions later.
Appreciate the simple but essential things in life
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” — Voltaire
Voltaire had a simple and practical recipe for leading a meaningful life: Keep a pen and paper by your bed and write down three things you’re grateful for every morning. Did you have a good night’s sleep?
Did you get to see a loved one or friend? Did you feel grateful, even in the middle of a bad day? When you reflect on these things, you appreciate what’s important in life.
By taking pleasure in the little things, you give yourself an inspirational boost to help you face any obstacle with optimism and positivity. Writing down at least three things you’re grateful for will enhance your focus on being present in the moment.
Don’t settle: ask better questions
“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.” — Voltaire
In his famous novel, Candide finds himself living in a cursed world where everything is absurd, and nothing makes sense. His mentor, Dr Pangloss, assures him that they live in the best of all possible worlds.
Fortunately for Voltaire and for us, this was not enough to stop him from questioning everything he had been told on faith and looking for meaning instead of just believing what others had told him.
In these moments of uncertainty, Voltaire turned to philosophy and rediscovered the ideas of such thinkers as Epicurus and Seneca, who had also found their way out of an arid life through philosophy.
In response to his own questions about the point of it all, he crafted the character of Candide in tribute to his favourite philosopher –Voltaire himself-.
Take responsibility for your happiness
“The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood.” — Voltaire
In his book “On the Origin of Everything”, Voltaire explains that happiness is a state of mind that can be achieved by keeping a positive attitude. He believes that people should be forgiving, kind, and generous toward others.
Voltaire also recommends that people respect themselves and not compare themselves to others. According to Voltaire, happiness is a choice that we all have the power to make.
Voltaire’s philosophy for a good life emphasizes the importance of freedom of expression and the value of doing what you love. According to Voltaire, the only way to find happiness is to follow your dreams. By committing yourself to your goals, you can live a meaningful life filled with joy and fulfilment.
Cultivate our own garden
“We must cultivate our own garden. When man was put in the garden of Eden he was put there so that he should work, which proves that man was not born to rest.” — Voltaire
Voltaire says life is a struggle, and it is up to each individual to make the most of it. The choices we make determine who and what we are becoming.
A good life involves making the right choices and living with integrity. Poor decisions and dishonesty characterize a lousy life. To live a good life, you must be aware of the consequences of your actions.
You must take responsibility for your choices and accept the consequences of your actions. You must live honestly, treating others with fairness and respect. You must work hard and strive to achieve your dreams. By being aware of the consequences of your actions, you can live a good life.
Food for thought
“If flourishing is “feeling good combined with functioning well,” according to Corey Keyes, a sociologist and professor emeritus at Emory University, there are a number of areas of life in which we can either thrive or flounder. The Human Flourishing Program defined six domains that contribute to overall flourishing: happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, close social relationships, and financial and material stability.”
What does the average human do every day?
“While awake, the average person spends close to one-third of their day on passive, interactive, and social activities. These roughly 4.6 hours include reading, watching TV, making art, playing games, going to gatherings with friends or family, or simply doing nothing at all. Eating and food preparation accounts for another 2.5 hours. Hygiene, including grooming, washing, and dressing, takes about 1.1 hours. Cleaning and maintaining the spaces we inhabit costs us 0.8 hours of the day.”
“In brief, a mental model is not an image or a movie. Rather, it’s an abstract representation that contains one possibility based on the information given. We reason by manipulating these representations: adding properties, moving them around and inferring conclusions by directly inspecting them. The contents of the mental model are conscious, but the mechanisms used to generate and represent them are not. Thus, while we can use mental models to reason, we can’t directly report how they’re organized in our minds like we can for mental imagery.”
What to do when racing thoughts keep you up at night
“Rather than try to escape these thoughts, you can begin by trying to understand them differently, which could change how you react to them. ‘We have a saying that if you really want to get to know somebody quickly, and on a deeper level, ask them what keeps them up at night,’ says Colleen Ehrnstrom, a clinical psychologist and co-author of End the Insomnia Struggle (2016). Have you ever paused to wonder why certain thoughts tend to grab your attention when you’re in bed? The reasons might seem obvious on the surface.”
4 ideas on smarter living
A question worth asking: ‘In what ways might I be complicit in creating the conditions that I say I don’t want?’ This is a potent journal prompt or inquiry for self-exploration that often nudges us to take greater responsibility for the circumstances in our life.
A piece of advice worth passing on: Be real and useful. We live in a world full of noise and filters. Things could be easier if we stayed true to our emotions and helped one another. Ask for help when you’re stuck, then pay it forward for the collective good of the community.
A question worth asking: ‘What is my enough?’ We constantly chase growth without questioning the reason behind it. Taking a moment to reflect upon our actions can help us find ‘our enough’ and live a more balanced life.
A concept worth understanding: ‘Mood follows action!’ Often, I find myself ‘not in the mood’ to do something (e.g. some much-needed exercise or doing the dishes). But just as often, I’m surprised to find that my mood changes in a positive direction once I’ve started. Taking action has a powerful effect.
Tools for life/career
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Thanks for reading!
Until next week,
Thomas
Medium | Thinking Toolbox | The Write Life | How to Live: Lessons in Stoicism
Postanly Weekly is now a reader-supported publication. To support my work, you can upgrade to a paid subscription for $7 per month or $40 for an entire year. With a modest yearly contribution you’re not only helping keep Postanly Weekly going, you also get free access to Thinking Toolbox (mental models for life) and Mental Wealth Toolbox (practical concepts for smarter decisions).
It seems like these statements are generally applicable to the point of feeling mundane. These notions of personal ownership of one’s happiness and others in this essay can be found in Ayn Rand, Positive Psychology, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Stoicism, and Eckhart Tolle to name a few.
Each reaches the same essential conclusion with different tones and justifications. I wonder if they’re all pointing at something that’s significant? Or if we are simple slaves to our culture?
Why when considering the totality of their works, do these sanitized slices of self-help continue to be brought to the surface?
Perhaps in our culture, we recognize the common issues we face and know the solution but need the affirmation from someone deemed wise to truly believe it.
These ideas have been digested and re-digested to the point where there is not much more for me than the taste of bile.
That all being said, I do appreciate the history included in this essay. Learning more about Voltaire around these ideas was a fun narrative device. For someone new to Voltaire and these ideas, I do think there’s a lot for them to enjoy about this essay.
Voltaire might be my new best friend.